Missing 5-Year-Old Boy Found Two Decades Later

January 11, 2013 - By Hyacinth Therese

After being abducted 19 years ago, Richard Wayne Landers Jr. has now been found living in Minnesota under a different name.

Back in July 1994, Landers was only 5-years-old when he disappeared with his paternal grandparents after they were “upset over pending court proceedings” regarding his Landers’ custody. Officials now believe that the boy’s grandparents abducted him from their home in Wolcottville and fled. The pair were cited with a felony charge for interfering with the custody proceedings, but the charges were dismissed in 2008 after no evidence was found against them.

Landers continued to be under the missing persons list for almost two decades. Fortunately, 19 years later, the now 24-year-old Landers was found in Long Prairie, Minnesota, after police identified a man who was using the same Social Security Number and matching birth date.

While Landers’ father was never involved in the boy’s life, his mother, Lisa who recently married Richard Harter was ecstatic with the news.

Richard Harter explained that they are now working towards reuniting with his stepson who is now married and expecting his first child.